You may have heard the phrase “If you look after your car, the car will look after you”. This truth is essential to adhere to if you want your car to last longer and reduce any costs when it comes to servicing and extra maintenance bills. One excellent way of remembering what to check when doing your basic maintenance and that is the FLOWER check.

Fuel

For obvious reasons, fuel is essential, but it is better to fill up often rather than letting the fuel light come on. Only refilling when your fuel tank is almost empty, can cause damage to your car and cause it to struggle in the future. It is also a good idea to fill up often in case you are going to an unfamiliar area and there is a chance that being on low fuel could cause you an issue.

Lights

Lights are always important and they need to be checked often, especially if you do a lot of night driving or when winter arrives. Regularly check all your exterior lights for broken bulbs or any cracks on lenses.

An easy way of testing is your indicator lights are working is to see if one blinks faster than the other. If that is the case, then one of your bulbs and blown and needs replacing. Remember when changing your bulbs either do not touch the glass or wear gloves to ensure no oil, grease or fingerprints are left. This can obviously narrow visibility because of the light not being about to shine properly.

Oil

Your car can use up to a litre of oil for every 1000 miles you drive, so check your oil levels once a week. Never wait for the red oil pressure warning light to appear because by that point, serious engine damage could have occurred.

It’s a quick and easy thing to do. In order to check your oil, make sure you are parked on level ground and your engine is cool. Pull the dipstick out and with a paper towel wipe it clean. Put it back in and secure it properly. Wait a moment and then take it out again and see where the oil appears. If the level is between the two dots marks H & L then it is safe. If it is quite close to the low marker, then it is suggested that you add a little bit to be safe.

Waters

In summer when the temperature is on the rise, it is best to keep a constant check on your coolant levels. Overheating is the most common cause of breakdowns and keeping your coolant at the correct levels is essential. Ensure that when you are checking your coolant that your engine is cool and find the high and low markings on the container. If the level is below the low line, pour water into the container until the level returns to between those two markers.

Another important thing to check is your screen wash level. This is a must because you have to be able to keep your windscreen visuals clear at all time and screen wash is the best way of doing that. If they are too low or you have run out, then refill it.

Electric

The number one cause of breakdowns is battery problems, so it is best to continually check the condition of your car battery. Most modern cars have 12-volt negative general electrical system and it is good practice to keep the terminals and contacts clean to ensure the currents passes through the system. First remove the terminal caps and using a wire brush, clean each contact post until you get a nice clean metal surface.

Rubber

For fuel economy, having the correct tyre pressure is extremely helpful. If you do not inflate your tyres correctly, you are putting yourself at serious risk, especially if you do a lot of motorway driving. The tyres wear out much faster, which means you will need to replace your tyres more often if you don’t keep the pressure correct. Also because of the drag on the car, caused by not having the correct pressure, it means you are also wasting fuel. If you do need to replace to replace your tyres, there are cheap tyres available at Hippo Service Centre.

If you do not conduct basic maintenance on your vehicle, small issues and problems can develop into more serious problems. If this occurs, then Hippo Service Centre has a new state of the art workshop and body shop to offer you the best car servicing available.